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“You will, but not right now, honey,” Bert butted in, putting a hand on his wife’s forearm, almost mirroring his brother-in-law. “Everyone needs to calm down, breathe, and think. It’s not the end of the world, and I’m sure we all can—”
“Yes, you all can leave now,” Darian cut him off.
Anne caught the look on her mother’s face when her twin told them to leave. “I’m sorry. I never meant to …” she began, hating that her throat choked with tears.
Her father stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder just when Finn took a step toward her, too.
“It’ll be okay. Come, Anne,” Bert said, raising his palm to stop Finn from approaching her.
She walked out with her parents. Finn followed, and they stopped next to their cars.
“Do you want to come home with us, Janey? Talk it over?” her father asked.
“I was going to talk to you this afternoon before all this happened,” she said. “I’m sorry, Dad. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”
Bert caressed the back of her hand. He then looked at Finn. “Finn, son, I don’t think you and Anne should … for the time being at least. Let people digest. They …” Bert half-pivoted toward his sister-in-law’s house. “They still see you as their son-in-law. They love you as one, and I can understand why. It’s strange for me, too. I just hope you two didn’t … while you were married.”
“Never, Dad!” Anne heard her own voice as if it came from a distance. “Is that what you think of me?”
Her father’s eyes were soft on her. “No, no, you’re right. Even as I said it, I knew it couldn’t be.”
“Even so, I still can’t … This is not how I raised you,” Linda suddenly said. She was much shorter than all of them, but her voice was louder than all three at that moment.
“I didn’t do anything wrong, Mom.”
“So, why don’t you come home with us and explain?” Linda asked.
“Can I have a moment alone with Ja—Anne?” Finn intervened.
“We’ll start walking toward the house, sweetie; join us when you’re done here?” Her father said softly.
She nodded.
Finn began talking the moment her parents were a few feet away. “I want to go with you, but I have to get Max, speak to him, at least. She didn’t let me. When I came in, she had already coughed it up. I don’t even know what she said. She stormed out with Max right after I arrived.”
“Go. Talk to your son.” More than anything, she wanted to disappear into his arms and bury her face in his chest. She was still in his T-shirt. It smelled like him on her skin. “I’m so sorry, Finn.”
“Stop.” He rubbed his hand up her bicep. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Finn … I think … my father’s right. Maybe we shouldn’t see each other right now. Until things … until the dust settles.”
“I don’t think he’s right. I don’t want to give in to this shit, and I don’t think we should.”
“Let’s talk about this later. I might have to tell my parents about … about then. They won’t tell the others if I ask them not to, but I think they should know. It might help them understand. They always wondered why I left after your wedding. I sold them some excuse about how Avery getting married made me move faster with my plans for an alternative career, but it’s as flimsy as it sounds.”
She could see that he wanted to hold her, to kiss her, but they were still in front of her aunt’s house. Finn palmed her cheek with one hand, and his eyes connected with hers until she could drown in the blue.
“I trust you,” he said.
She pressed her cheek into his palm and kissed it.
